The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has announced the commencement of the dialysis support programme on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) effective June 01, 2024.
The support, according a statement from the Authority, will span for a period of six (6) months ending December 2024.
A release from the Authority signed by the Acting Chief Executive, Dr. Da-Costa Aboagye, Saturday, June 01, 2024, indicates the support is not going to be same across board.
“Vulnerable groups (patients aged below 18 and above 60):Patients aged under 18 and above 60 years will receive all eight (8) free dialysis sessions per month under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) from June to December 2024 as indicated on table 1,” the statement noted.
Persons aged 18 to 59years
The statement also says “Patients from Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH), Efia Nkwanta Regional Hospital (ENRH), Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH) and Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) except Korle Bu( See point 3), will receive two (2) dialysis sessions per month at GH¢982.00, that is, GH¢491 per session as indicated on Table 2 below.”
For Korle Bu patients benefit subsidy, the statement indicates that they “will receive a subsidy for two (2) dialysis sessions per month at GHS491.00, which is 50% of the cost per session (that is, GH¢245.50 * 2) due to a philanthropic gesture of GHS380.00 being offered to such patients as indicated on table 3 to address equity across all facilities.”
Parliament approved an amount of Two Million Ghana Cedis (GH¢2,000,000.00) in the NHIA’s 2024 Allocation Formula to support needy and vulnerable patients seeking dialysis
treatment.
As part of NHIA’s 20th Anniversary, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) through administrative arrangements has allocated an additional Two Million, four hundred thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢2,400,000.00), under the Corporate Social Responsibility approved budget of the scheme to support this initiative. This means a total of approximately GH¢4.4 million is being invested to support this initiative as indicated on table 4.
Meanwhile, concerns have come from various quatres regarding the sustainability of the scheme with the dialysis patients subsidy in place. But the Authority says the project will not affect the NHIS.
Content by: Felix Anim-Appau
